Breaking News!!

We interrupt this blog to bring you the latest news update!!! Today we were going to head into the living room for our next stop in our Thanksgiving tour. But, thanks to grandson #2, that will not be happening. Instead, I will regale you with my latest "just go with it" story.

Yesterday was moving along as scheduled and I was actually sitting right here at my computer ready to start my blog when I got an email from my grandson asking me if I would like to go out to lunch with him. Well, that's an offer not to be refused so I immediately accepted. And then the wheels started turning. Something has been perking in my brain for a bit but I had, so far, successfully put it on hold.

There is a very long prequel to my story that I won't bore you with but those of you who know me know the details. Just a snippet to keep the rest of you kind of up to snuff...for 76 years of my life I had never had any Christmas tree but a live one. I LOVE them for all of the feels. But, two years ago-for many reasons-I had to give in and get an artificial tree. I know in the scheme of things that that is not all that big a deal. But, for me it was. And, to make matters worse, I quickly looked around town and couldn't really find one I liked so I ordered one online-something I really dislike doing because I like to see and feel the things I am buying.

I will take the blame for a lot of it because I was biased against pre-lit tress for two reasons. First off, I had heard horror stories of the lights failing and what a hassle it is to re-do them and, since I like colored lights in the family room, I didn't like the LED lights on these pre-lit trees.

And so, my choice arrived and when I opened the box, I actually started to cry. I am not a crier but for all sorts of reasons, this hit me hard and I felt like a huge part of my holiday and memories would never be the same again.

Let me say that I didn't allow that feeling to last long. I put my "big girl pants" on and got to work. And, it took me three days to complete that tree!!! It needed endless "fluffing" then extra sprigs wedged in to fill voids and then forever to get the lights on it! But, it came out OK and with the addition of some balsam scented sticks to hang from the branches sent to me by daughter #2, I made it through and, as always, we had a wonderful Christmas.

Fast forward to last year when it was even harder to get that thing to "fluff" and by the end of the season, three strings of lights had gone out.

I know, I said I wouldn't bore you but some pre-facts ARE necessary. I couldn't wait to pack that thing up and I actually sent it to daughter #3's warehouse for storage...out of sight, out of mind! And then I began to see posts about this incredible tree that went viral and sold out everywhere and no one could find and it went together in less than five minutes and it fell into perfect shape and needed no fluffing and, and, and.

And somehow my brain filed that information away and came back into place this year when I first started seeing that tree on posts again. And I started a pro/con list in my brain. And every time the pros won out, I talked myself out of it for lots of reasons-not the least that the store was a good bit away at a very bust intersection that I am not crazy about not to mention that it would be heavy for me and might not fit in my car and, and, and.

And then I got that invite and it all became clear. I had googled the tree on Friday and my local store had 37 of them. Again, I could order online but I wasn't falling for that not seeing it in person thing again. And so I asked Hud if he would help me out and he loved the idea of being my partner in crime-and I say that because my girls are all probably going to wonder why in the world I would make this choice but, I digress.

And so, first we went for a wonderful lunch and had all of the time in the world to really talk and catch-up. And then we hit the store and I was like a kid in a candy store. There it was and it was perfect. One of the pros that I did take into consideration was that I needed at least three new sets of lights this year and boy did their price go up. I could subtract that from the price of the tree. Not to mention the two plus days that I would need to get the old one up again-not to mention how many trips up and down the ladder that would take-and it was a no-brainer. And with my sidekick along, he snatched that huge heavy box up with no effort what-so-ever and we had paid and were out of that store in record time.

My plan had been to wait but, honestly, as soon as Hud was on his way-after helping me with a printer update-I opened that box and sat down to read the directions-as if you really needed directions. Lol And, as soon as I did that, I picked up my phone and there was a reel on FB of someone else just buying said tree and challenging the time advertised for setting it up. It looked so easy...almost too easy...and you know how things like that often work out so I decided to give it my own test. And.....

....one of these things doesn't belong here. LOL

Obviously things will get moved, cords hidden, etc. before I get it all gussied up for Christmas but this is fine with me for now.

I should be getting paid for this endorsement but, honestly, this thing went together in less than THREE minutes!!! You literally just drop one section into another and it lights and falls into place. It has a number of color and timing options but my favorite will definitely be the twinkling clear lights...and I am going to have them on all through the rest of this month and then hit the ground running for Christmas. And, it comes with a foot pedal and a remote. It can even be set on a timer. 

When I think of all of the work I just saved myself, I am giddy! I love this thing so much...and my grandson for actually starting the whole process with his invitation to lunch. What a fabulous day-a beautiful new tree and time spent with a precious grandchild. What could be better!?!

I apologize to all those of you who stuck it out this long but you did get a bit if a sneak peek of the family room and I will be back again with more of the real tour tomorrow...I promise. I'm off to make another big pot of soup to get me through the next chilly week we are expecting. Stay safe and stay tuned...and stay warm!

P.S. Right before I headed to bed last night, I googled the tree again and my store was down to 3 left! I am SO glad I snagged one before that became unavailable again!

So Much to be Thankful For

 Welcome to the beginning of our Thanksgiving 2025 tour. We'll start on the porch.

I think I smile every time I see this flag. A few years ago it was so faded that I almost threw it out but then thought about maybe giving it a refresh with some acrylic paint. I wasn't sure how it would work but, honestly, I had nothing to lose. And, much to my surprise, not only did I have fun painting it, but the result was more than satisfactory...and I have proudly flown it since.

These mums have been here since the beginning of October and might just hang on until the end of this month to get me through Thanksgiving. The pots that have finished one bloom are just beginning to rebloom as the others are losing their first bloom. Fingers crossed.

Here's the other thing that acrylic paint saved. The Florida sun is rough on things...just ask my hard wood floors. When you lift the corner of the rug in the living room you would not believe the difference in color...but, I digress. Lol This sign was also pretty much ready for the garbage but a bit of paint gave it a second life as well. 

So that is the porch for Thanksgiving. I was going to head on into the living room as well but I have a lot of pictures to share so the post would just be too long. I think I will stop for now. I have all of the windows open on this beautiful day. I think I will grab a quick lunch and then head outside to do some weeding. Tomorrow I am hoping to get back out behind my fence and cut down some more of the things that are encroaching. We shall see how that turns out. Then, hopefully I will be back on Monday to head on into the house. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Towanda!

 She's Back! I love it when Towanda comes for a visit...although I suspect I will be paying for her visit for a few days. Lol

I started my Halloween to Thanksgiving swap out on Sunday and, as most of you know, I like to start early and just keep on keeping on until I can't stand straight any more. That happened on Sunday and Monday and I was going great guns and thinking maybe two more days. But, I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday so that ate up most of the morning and granddaughter #5 had an early SOCCER game that afternoon. Yes, we have added soccer to "our" sport's schedule as well this year. Lol I got a few things done in between but not much.

And so today, my plan was to hit the ground running and at least get all of the Halloween packed back up and up on the shelves in the garage so I could get my car back in there. That almost worked...until it didn't. As I was just getting ready to start my second cup of coffee I got a text from grandson #2 asking if I could send him some of his baby pictures for the yearbook. Lucky for him he was born the year my digital photo files started so at least I didn't have to go through boxes and boxes of photos that used to be in a yearly order but have been gone through so many times that it is now pretty much all a hit or miss. Lol

Of course, those old photos are "in the cloud" so downloading them takes a little more time and then, since they're on the computer but not my phone they have to be emailed instead of texted-although I'm sure there is a way to fix that, I just don't know what it is! LOL In any case, when I told him I could do it but to give me some time, he admitted that he had waited until the last minute and needed them by 3 this afternoon. My husband used to have a sign in his office that said something along the lines of "your lack of timing does not necessitate and emergency on my part" when people would bring him a bag of receipts and expect their tax return finished that day. Of course, he was a softy and always helped people out if they were in a bind with timing and I, of course, did the same. That got me a later start than I had hoped but just look at the cutest I was reminded of.

After that, I just knew Towanda was ready to lend a hand and, I'm happy to say that she came through and I now have every Halloween Rubbermaid full and back on the shelves as well as all of the larger things up on those top shelves and ready to wait another year. I must say that I do kind of surprise myself every time I complete that last task. Just when I think I may not be able to pull it off one more time, Towanda pays a visit and I am good to go! Of course, I still have to decorate the bathrooms and put all of the Halloween stuff away that is stored in all of the guest room closets but at least the end is in sight.

Granddaughter #5 has 3 soccer games this week-two away and last night at home. So off I went. The last time I watched a soccer game was when she and her brother played at the YMCA when they were much, much younger. 

And just when I thought I was barely beginning to understand some of the lacrosse rules, I now have an entirely new set of rules to understand. And it might take awhile. To me, it just kind of looks like a LOT of running and kicking a ball. Lol It was beautiful but chilly evening and the moon coming up could not be ignored.

So this was only her second game ever since YMCA days. They are training her to be a goalie but they have a really good goalie right now so we didn't expect her to go in unless they were winning by a lot. I guess we failed to figure what might happen if their goalie got hurt-which she did when she dove for a ball and hit her head on the metal frame of the goal net. And just like that Presley was in! To say that we were nervous would be the world's biggest understatement but before we knew it, just a few plays later, she had her first chance and made a save! By then, the original goalie was back but Presley had her 15 minutes of fame and I am so proud of her. It takes some courage to put yourself out there in any position but the goalie? With everyone's' eyes on you and depending on you to "save" the team? I'm not sure where she gets that courage from...definitely not her Nana. Lol

So I am back to getting things tied up and then I can get some pictures and begin our Thanksgiving tour before it is time to switch to Christmas. I wish I could jump straight over but I just can't. And this year that might come in handy. Daughter #3 is supposed to be hosting us this year but grandson #1 (her son) plays on the Coast Guard Academy football team and this year they are leading the conference and it looks like they will be heading into playoffs. If those games happen around Thanksgiving, their family will be headed to CT and I will take over hosting. This is a change that, in my younger days, I would already be planning but, as I have told you, with my now very large family, I have had to learn to "go with the flow" so we shall see how this works out. At least my home will be ready...wish I could say the same for the menu! Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.

How Life Changes

 Anyone familiar with this site knows by now that Halloween is a big deal around here! I love all of the sights, smells and feels of this day-which for me means this MONTH! I am always anxious to get all of my decor out and live with it as long as I can. That being said, I also know that if I am going to get any time at all with my Thanksgiving decor I will need to make the swap on November 1...and that was my plan again this year...until it wasn't.

You all also know that for about as many years as I have had children and then grandchildren, Halloween was a really BIG deal! We did all of the things-at first with the kids and then morphing into adults as well. We had over the top costume parties for years and years but, eventually the older grands went off to college, jobs, relationships, etc. and the whole family parties were no more. And yet, I was lucky to still have my three youngest grands living close by so we continued to do all of the things-just on a smaller level. And that actually happened until last year...fast forward to 2025 and grandson #2 has an away game on Halloween night! Of course, it was a no brainer...change things up and head to the game with the family.

The game was about an hour away so we headed off early with plans to stop at a Mexican restaurant they have tried before about half way there. Let's just say that we will have as many memories to share about this adventure as we do about our Halloweens. It is a long story for another time but suffice it to say it was one of those times where all you could do was laugh-and boy did we!

We had been warned that the high school was in the middle of a large neighborhood "famous" for their trick-or-treating and that the streets would be FULL! And, they weren't kidding. Cars were everywhere but we found a place to park and good seats so we were set. It was chilly but that just reminds me of my cousins and I going to football games up north on around Thanksgiving while our moms were home cooking and it was bright, crisp and perfect football weather. To me, that is what a game should feel like but, since having lived in Florida for over 66 years now, the reality of "warm" games is there all too often.

This was a late game to begin with and then the boys had to take off all of their gear and load it up for the trip home before getting on the bus so we didn't bother any of them for photos. We have more than enough for the season and they are going into playoffs so there will be more opportunities. Lol

I did snap a few of our #55 from the sidelines.

We didn't get home until almost midnight and then I'm usually still pretty "amped" up so...let's just say that my day today didn't start as early as it usually does. And so, I'm choosing another change in my MO...I am not taking down Halloween just yet. I need a really early start for these swaps because they take a number of days. Also, I bought all of the fresh veggies I need to make a big pot of soup for our probably limited number of chilly days and there is no way I will make that on a swap out day so I am giving myself today. I am off to grab a fast lunch, possibly get down some of the higher up Rubbermaids in preparation for tomorrow, make the soup and then sit down and enjoy the sights, smells and feels of Halloween for just one more day. We shall see what tomorrow brings. You know I'm getting more and more willing to change in my old age. Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.

And for the moment, this is here to remind me what is still to come. I happened to be in Walmart again the other day-actually to buy more Halloween lights for my trellis as the ones there were fading quickly-and I happened upon them restocking some "My Texas House" Christmas and was lucky enough to find the small tree I had been looking for. It is the "real-feel" tree and I am excited about just stringing it with a small strand of fairy lights and finding just the perfect place for it. No matter how hard I try, my Christmas decor just tends to stick with the traditional red and green with some antique Santas thrown in for good measure...and, the green almost always makes itself known through lots and lots of greenery. It always used to be real but since the live stuff got worse and worse every year, I just slowly switched to the faux and now that there is the real-feel, it is almost just as good. I just light a bunch of balsam candles and I am good to go. I also grabbed a few more picks because everyone knows if one is good...more is better! Lol

The Rustier the Better!

 Monday, Monday. Looks like it will be a quiet day for me. Grand dog is back and enjoying his spot on the bed in my office. We have had a bit of rain with more coming this afternoon but right now the sun is out and I am about as caught up as I can be. Don't get me wrong. There are a million things I could be cleaning but, with Bennett here, that seems silly because he is either dragging in mud/sand on his feet or shedding like crazy...best to hold off the cleaning until he leaves. And so that brought me to this spot. I decided to use the day to do the only two craft projects that I have on deck.

And so, I started with the metal French flower bucket that daughter #1 gave me. I always loved it in her house but now that it is in mine, it just needed a bit of zhuzhing. And, in my case that usually means RUST. And so, supplies were gathered.

There are a number of ways to rust things but I almost always go the same route. First, I just "knocked down" the silver a bit with some Waverly antique wax first brushed on and then pulled back a bit with a baby wipe.

Then I just paint on some ModPodge, sprinkle with cinnamon and go back over that with more ModPodge. Kind of a no-brainer but when it dries, it really does look like I just brought it in from many years of wear and tear in my garden.

While I'm waiting for that to dry, I have moved on to the Thanksgiving canvas-as if I need one more canvas but I found the picture and really like it so I will be on a search for a place for it to land when I start my swap next week.

I started this one the same way I start most...by ripping the edges. A lot of times I paint the canvas the same color as the background of the image because then when I distress the edges it kind of blends in. That is what I was planning until I didn't. Lol I decided to go with a pop of color and used the Waverly "pumpkin" chalk paint.

Once that was dry. I ModPodged the image to the canvas. Since I printed this one on a presentation quality paper, wrinkles usually stay at a minimum. 

Then came the Tim Holtz Distressing ink around the edges.

And I'm done. Neither if these were out-of-this-world crafts but, since I needed something to keep me busy and, since I probably have less Thanksgiving crafts than any other holiday, I'm good with them. The French flower bucket will probably be out for many themes as well as Thanksgiving and I'm anxious to put it to use. If I drop a glass container into it I can use it for fresh flowers or I can leave it as is and use it for faux florals.

I'm off to grab some lunch and then see where the rest of the day takes me. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Wrapping Up!

 I almost thought I would never get to this point but, here I am ready to wrap up our Halloween tour. I just had a surprise visit from daughter #2 and granddaughter #1 and am expecting granddaughter #4 soon to bring back my grand dog so let's see if we can't squeeze in these last few photos before I have to leave again.

I think we are on to the bathrooms.

Here's where the second of those spider lamps from Bombay Co. that I love so much ended up.

I made these pumpkins many, many years ago as gifts for family and friends. I was looking closely at it when I hung it and I made it so long ago that I really have no recollection of how I did it. I actually impressed myself. LOL

I know it's a bit "cutesy" but I still love my Halloween shower curtain.

I moved this water color witch canvas to here but it wasn't really large enough so I used my old "empty frame" trick to just give it a bit more of a presence.

That's it for the guest bath...on to mine and just the small nods that I give to it.

And then because I still have so many more Halloween pictures that I just can't not display, on to a bit of the bedroom.

So that wraps up Halloween for this year. Unless something new pops up, I will probably start the change to Thanksgiving on November 1. It isn't all that difficult of a change because some of the "orange" things can stay out but if I want it to be up for at least three weeks before I start the switch to Christmas, I need to work quickly. Believe me, I have thought about going straight to Christmas but, since autumn is my favorite season, I just can't bring myself to rush it along! I am in love with all of the autumn colors, scents and feels!

I'm off to do some touch up on the ceiling where I had the leak. Fingers crossed that the repair did the trick. We're expecting some rain in the coming days so thinking if I don't see any new stains after that, he found the culprit. The roofer actually couldn't find anywhere that water was getting in so he tried something and we shall see. If not, we go back to square one and try again. I wish the answer would have been easier to find but then that would have probably meant a much larger problem so we shall see. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Look at the beautiful bouquet my sweet daughter and granddaughter brought along. Fresh flowers always brighten my day!

District Champs!

 There really is nothing better in the south than a Friday night football game when the weather co-operates. Believe me, we have lasted through some frigid games, some sweltering games and some flooded games so, when it is an incredibly beautiful evening, it is just perfect!

Last night's game was for the district championship and it was wonderful to get the WIN...although that does mean that the season will continue as well as soccer starting for granddaughter #5 and then lacrosse for both kids! But, I digress. LOL The school surprised everyone with a fireworks display and, since it was senior night we got to honor Hudson a bit! Granddaughter #1 came down and we went together and met up with the rest of the gang in the stands for the presentation of the seniors.

I'm almost embarrassed to say this but the game was kind of boring. We were leading by 21 points just a few minutes into the first quarter and it only got worse. The final score was 49-12 (thank goodness for running clocks once the score gets so unbalanced) and we were actually starting to feel sorry for the other team...until we reminded ourselves that we have had a few games like this as well. Lol

In any case, lots of fun in the stands and then in the tailgate zone for food and lots of chatting!

Today I have been catching up on lots of little things since I am "dog-less" at the moment. Granddaughter #4 came yesterday and "borrowed" Bennett-who is her dog- to take back to UF for an overnight. She misses him so much and by the way he greets her when she comes, I'm sure the feeling is mutual. Now I'm off to get lots of veggies ready for the roasting pans and then to try out a new parmesan tilapia recipe in my new air fryer/oven. Since both of my ovens will be full of the vegetables, I'm glad I have my new toy to take care of the fish. Fingers crossed it is as good as the oven recipe I usually use.

Unless I get a better offer, I will be back tomorrow to begin the wrap up of our Halloween tour. It is hard to believe that Halloween is almost here and I still haven't finished things up. Stay safe and stay tuned.